Brazilian Hair Straightening

So there we were last night, reading the Daily Beast, when we stumbled upon a column that had us scratching our heads: In "My Illegal, Flammable, Fabulous Hair Treatment," a woman writes about getting a formaldehyde-laced Brazilian hair straightening treatment. She writes that "the Centers for Disease Control describes [formaldehyde] as a 'colorless, highly toxic, and flammable gas'" but "like parents who lock the liquor cabinet, everyone knows the FDA's main purpose is to keep us from the good stuff." She then compares formaldehyde exposure to having Botox injected, wearing high heels, and drinking diet shakes that induce gas, and asks, "In light of all this, what's a little formaldehyde between friends?"

Well, friends, we thought we'd take the opportunity to link to the story we did in October 2007 on the potential health risks of the Brazilian hair straightening treatment. Check it out—then tell us what you think.